Reclosing carton



Jan. 5, 1960 FARRELL 2,919,843

RECLOSING CARTON Filed June 27, 1958 Edward G.Farrel1 INVENTOR.

2,919,843 Patented Jan. 5, 1960 Free RECLOSING CARTON Edward G. Farrell,Portland, reg., assignor of one-half to E. W. De Koning, Portland, Oreg.

Application June 27, 1958, Serial No. 745,042 6 Claims. (Cl. 229-17)This invention relates to an improvement in packages or cartons, andmore particularly to a reclosing carton having cover means enablingtight and positive closing of the carton after it has initially beenopened.

Cartons, such as pasteboard boxes and the like, are frequently used inpackaging small parts, powders, granulated material, and food items,such as breakfast foods. Ordinarily a carton of this sort is not emptiedall at once. Instead, a portion of its contents is removed, and thecarton is then used as a storage receptacle for the remainder of itscontents. After opening, it is desirable to reclose the container, toprevent inadvertent spilling and spoilage of material, and to promoteease of stacking. If the material is a food item, closing a cartonpreserves the freshness of the food. The closure mechanism should notencumber opening of the'carton, and it should be simple, practical, andcapable of economic mass production.

Generally it is an object of this invention to provide closure means fora carton or box which takes careof the hereinabove set forthrequirements in a highly practical and satisfactory manner.

It is a more specific object of the invention to provide in the top ofacarton an openable cover portion, and a slidable locking memberreciprocally mounted In a pair of.elongated retainer slots formed in thecarton top, the locking member being slidable to a locking positionpositively to lock the cover portion in a closing position.

According to an embodiment of this invention, the top of a carton isprepared in a conventional manner from a pair of rectangular cover tabs,each of which is joined along one edge to one of a pair of oppositesides of the carton. The tabs are folded over, with their inner edgesoverlapping, and then ordinarily adhered together using a conventionalpasteboard adhesive.

A foldline is formed in each of the cover tabs and this foldline extendsalong the tab from one corner of the tab to its overlapping edge. Thefoldline accommodates folding of the corner of the tab outwardly fromthe top. The two tab corners, which constitute swingable flap portions,when folded away from the plane of the top, open up a V-shaped pouringspout in thecarton top. The spout is sufficiently wide to enable quickflow of material from the carton, but somewhat constricted, so as tometer the flow of material and prevent the contents of a carton fromfalling out all at once,

After use, the corner flaps may be folded back to close the carton.

Elongated slots are formed in the top parallel to the overlapping edgesof the tabs, one on each side of the overlapping edges. A locking memberwith its ends inserted in-these slots is slidable to and fro over thetop.

portions swingable from a closed position to an open position, and asliding member slidable from a release position wherein the flaps may beswung open to a locking position wherein the flaps are held in a closed,covering position.

Another object is to provide a locking construction which is readilyincorporated in a conventional carton having a top prepared by foldingover a pair of overlapping tabs integral with the side Walls of acarton.

The invention is described hereinbelow in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating top portions of a carton, andshowing the top with the openable cover portions thereof in a closedposition;

Fig. 2 is similar to Fig. 1 save that the lockingvmember present in theconstruction has been moved to a release position accommodating openingof the openable cover portions; and

Fig. 3 illustrates the carton with the cover portions or flaps swungopen, in the position they occupy when pouring material from the carton.

Referring now to the drawings, in the embodiment illustrated 10indicates a conventional carton having a rectangular cross section. Thecarton has side walls 11, 12, a bottom wall (not shown), and a top wall13. The carton is made of pasteboard or similar material, and may take"arious sizes and shapes depending upon the material packaged therein.The carton illustrated is of the type generally used for packagingbreak-fast cereals.

Top 13 of the carton is made by folding over a pair of cover tabs 16 and17, each of which has a rectangular outline and is joined along acreaseline 15 to one side of the carton. The tabs are joined to oppositesides of the carton, and when folded over have inner edges 18, 19 whichoverlap each other.

Extending partially along the length of the carton top are a pair ofparallel slots 21 and 22 which are usually weakened sections orpartially severed. One of the slots is on one side and one of the slotsis on the other side of overlapping edges 18, 19. These slots areprepared'to receive the opposite ends of an elongated slide or lookingmember 26.

Locking member 26 has a rectangular outline, and end edges 27, 28parallel to the side walls of the carton and closely abutting these sideWalls. These end edges, by sliding against the inner faces of the sidewalls, keep the locking member from twisting about, and thus preventinadvertent removal of member 26 from the slots. The locking member hasan upturned tab 29 which functions as a handle when moving the lockingmember back and forth. The locking member is slidably mounted formovement between a released position shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and alocking position shown in Fig. .1.

Formed one in each of the tabs, and extending from one set of adjacentends of creaselines 15 toward the center of the carton top, are a pairof foldlines, indicated at 31, 32. These foldlines extend obliquelyacross corners of tabs 16, 17 and intersect edges 18, 19 at intersectionpoints 33, 34. Each foldline and corner edge portion of the tab itextends across define a triangularshaped, cover flap portion. These areindicated for the tabs at 36, 37.

When the carton is sealed for shipment, the tabs 16 and 17 are foldedover the top of the carton, and fastened together using an adhesivedeposited in the area between the overlapping edges of the tabs. Thetabs may be fastened together along their entire length, or just alongtheir length in the space between intersection points 33, 34 and theadjacent set of ends of creaselines 15 located away from foldlines 31,32. If fastened along their entire length, the carton is initiallyopened by inserting a knife or other sharp instrument into the gluelinebetween the tabs, and running the knife along the glueline fromintersection points 33, 34- downwardly over flaps 36, 37.

During use, when it is desired to open the carton, locking member 26 isslid to the release position shown in Fig. 2. Flaps 36 and 37 are thenswung outwardly by bending them along foldlines 3i, 3?. to the positionshown in Fig. 3. Many cartons are also provided with inwardly extendingside flaps, such as side flap 39, which may be swung open to theposition shown in Fig. 3. The presence of side flap 39 is not essential.

After the flaps are fully swung open, the usual paper liner of abreakfast cereal package is exposed, which may be ripped open to enablepouring of the carton contents.

As can be seen in Fig. 3, the flaps or cover portions when swung opendefine a V-shaped pouring spout or opening. The opening is large enoughto allow the contents of the box to pour out easily. The opening isdirectly adjacent side wall 11, so that no lip or shoulder is present atthe bottom of the spout to catch or hold back material pouring from thebox. Thus the box is easily emptied completely.

When the opening is closed, as shown in Fig. l, member 26 may he sliddownwardly to a locking position, wherein a central portion of member 26covers the overlapping but separable edges of the flaps, and firmlyholds the flaps in a covering or closing position.

This results since the partline or the upper flap 36, i.e., the linefrom which it is separable from the remainder of the top, is disposedintermediate slots 21, 22 and is covered by member 26 when the latter isin a locking position.

It will be noted that the construction is readily incorporated withexisting type boxes utilizing folded over cover tabs to make up the topof the box. The construction requires the addition of only one extrapart, exemplified by sliding locking member 26, which may be formed as apart or all of tab 39.

It is claimed and desired to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A carton having side walls, a top and a bottom wall forming anenclosed container, a pair of elongated slots lying side-by-side formedin said top wall, and a slide portion having opposite ends insertedthrough said slots slidably mounted on said top for movement therealongbetween release and locking positions, said slide portion having acentral portion intermediate its ends carried outwardly of said top,said top having an operable cover portion separable from the remainderof the top along a partline disposed intermediate said slots, saidpartline being covered by the central portion of said slide portion whenoccupying its locking position.

2. A carton having side walls, a top and a bottom wall forming anenclosed container, said top having a cover flap adjacent one of saidside walls separable from the remainder of the top, a pair of elongatedslots lying side-by-side formed in said top, said cover flap separatingfrom the remainder of said top along a partline spaced between saidslots, and a slide portion having opposite ends inserted through saidslots slidably mounted on said top for movement therealong betweenrelease and locking positions, said slide portion having a centralportion intermediate its ends carried outwardly of said top, the centralportion of said slide portion covering said partline when occupying itslocking position.

3. A carton of rectangular cross section having side walls and fourcornered top and bottom walls forming an enclosed container, said tophaving a pair of flaps swingable about foldlines extending from adjacentcorners of the top inwardly toward the center of the top, said flapsswinging from a closing position closing off the interior of said cartonto an opem'ng position opening up the interior of said carton, each ofsaid flaps terminating in an edge extending lengthwise along the topintermediate the sides thereof with the edges of the two flaps progressing lengthwise between the same two sides, a pair of slots formedin said top lying side by side and with one on one side and one on theother side of said edges, and a slide portion having opposite endsinserted through said slots slidably mounted on said top for movementtherealong between release and locking positions, said slide portionhaving a center portion intermediate its ends carried outwardly of saidtop, said center portion covering said edges when occupying its lockingposition.

4. A carton of rectangular cross section having side walls and fourcornered top and bottom walls forming an enclosed container, said tophaving a pair of flaps swingable about foldlines extending from adjacentcorners of the top inwardly toward the center of the top, said flapsswinging from a closing position closing 01f the interior of said cartonto an opening position opening up the interior of said carton, saidflaps each having a triangular configuration and a terminal edge alongone side which is adjacent the terminal edge of the other when the flapsoccupy a closing position, a pair of slots formed in said top lyingside-by-side and with one on one side and one on the other side of saidterminal edges, and a slide portion having opposite ends insertedthrough said slots slidably mounted on said top for movement therealongbetween release and locking positions, said slide portion having acenter portion intermediate its ends carried outwardly of said top, saidcenter portion covering said terminal edges when occupying its lockingposi tion.

5. In a carton having side walls and a rectangular four cornered top,said top being formed by a pair of rectangular tabs, each joined througha creaseline along one edge to a side wall of said carton, the tabsbeing joined to opposite side walls of said carton, the edges of saidtabs opposite said creaselines overlapping each other, the improvementcomprising a pair of slots formed in said top, one on one side and oneon the other side of said overlapping edges, a pair of foldlines formedin said tabs, one in each tab, extending from one set of adjacent endsof said creaselines to the overlapping edges of said tabs andintersecting these edges, and a slide portion having opposite endsinserted through said slots slidably mounted on said top for movementtherealong between release and locking positions, said slide portionhaving a center portion intermediate its ends carried outwardly of saidtop, said center portion covering said overlapping edges and foldineswhen occupying its locking position.

6. The carton of claim 5 wherein said foldlines intersect saidoverlapping edges at intersection points spaced a substantial distanceinwardly from the carton side wall next to the other set of adjacentends of said creaselines, and wherein said tabs are adhered togetheralong their overlapping edges in the space between the side Wall next tosaid other set of adjacent ends and said intersection points.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 186,983Switzerland Oct. 15, 1936

